1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to measurement systems, and in particular, to measurement systems that use light. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for radar systems generating measurement information using light radar (lidar) systems.
2. Background
Lidar is a sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing responses to the illumination of the target. The word “lidar” is portmanteau of the words “laser” and “radar”, rather than an acronym.
Lidar systems are used for many different applications. For example, lidar systems may be used in seismology, point cloud generation, mapping, contour mapping, image generation, navigation, and other applications.
With respect to navigation, a lidar system may be used for obstacle detection and avoidance when navigating a mobile platform through an environment. For example, a point cloud of the environment may be generated by a lidar system that provides information for determining where obstacles may exist. The mobile platform may be, for example, a robot, a self-navigating car, or some other suitable type of vehicle.
Currently used lidar systems generate a pattern in a target region using a laser beam that has a substantially uniform beam divergence in the target region. In other words, the laser beam has the same diameter at the same distances from the lidar system.
These types of lidar systems, however, provide only one resolution throughout the entire scan. The target region, however, may be limited by the pulse rate and power of the lidar system. Increasing the size of the target region may result in a lower resolution. As a result, having a desired size for a target region may not be possible with a desired resolution.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues. For example, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that overcome a technical problem with obtaining information about a target region with a desired resolution.